FATE - Preface 1

"When a soul is taken away from a living being, it is the end of life. When it happens, it is usually not foretold. Nobody or nothing can predict it. It just comes, sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually, sometimes peacefully, sometimes filled with endless pains. As human nature, we wonder about preventing it to keep the life longer, or even to keep it last forever. We have achieved much success to lengthen our time on Earth. But there is one thing we should never forget, nothing can finally stop it. Even with the highest stage of modern science, it can be slowed down yet unstoppable...
If, at some point, it could be stopped, there would always be a great price that must be paid. And the price would cost a lot more than just one life.

It's FATE."

~~~~~~~~~~

The small village was only a few miles away from the Kingdom's Capital of The Rising Dragon, yet the differences between them were drastically big. The more wealthy and glorious the capital looked, the more solitary and poor the village became. The tragedy did not stop there, a strange horrid disease had swept through the little village, killing over half of the population.

It was said that only this one young alchemist could cure the disease. Her name was unknown. Her background was also unknown. She just came to the village mysteriously three days after the great disease had taken place. She was known as the only female alchemist alive in the Kingdom who had the power to revive and foresee the death...

-"Please save my husband! You are the only one who can prevent the death and cure all sickness." - the wife was shaking, kneeling on the ground with her hands clasped together. Her eyes were red-shot and already dried from the constant weep of her husband's near-death stage. She panted and looked up at the well-known alchemist like a great Savior, and sometimes glanced at the dying husband laying on a broken bed.

The alchemist was examining the body of the husband carefully. She sighed lightly:

-"I'm afraid.. it is too late..."

The wife opened her eyes widely, staring at the alchemist with shock. Her voice started shaking:

-"Wha... what do you mean t.. too late? You can still save him, r.. right? Right??"

The alchemist looked at the wife then back at the husband and slightly shook her head:

-"I'm sorry. I cannot save him anymore. This is already too late to do anything."

Before the wife could ask another question, the alchemist continued:

-"He has reached the final stage of the disease. Worse, the final stage already happened yesterday which means there is no way to save him. I can try to revive him but it would be useless since after that, he would only be able to live for less than 3 more days. If I had been here yesterday instead, the situation might have been better and easier. Yet... I am helpless now. I am sorry..." - she let out another long sigh as she kept staring at the empty space above and behind where the husband was lying.

The wife crawled to her husband, held on him and bursted into tears.

The alchemist looked at the poor couple for a little while, then turned and walked away...